Exploring Post-secondary Options

1. C H A R A C T E R E D : M A R C H 2 0 1 7
Becoming College & Career
Ready

2. Learning Target
 I can begin to be College & Career Ready now by:
 Learning and practicing good study habits
 Knowing what resources are available to help me be successful
 Setting goals that are important to me now and in my future
 Exploring education and career options and
information
 Acting on goals and dreams

3. Exploring Options
 Asking yourself questions is a good place to start –
think about your goals. Do you have short and long
term goals?
 Hopefully you are thinking of your future in some
way, whether it’s trying out for a sports team next
year, going to college, becoming a pilot, or bringing
up your grades for 4th quarter. It’s never too early
to start planning ahead.

4. Should I go to College?
 This is a personal decision that every one of you will
make, and one of the biggest decisions of your life.
Don’t discount going to college, and don’t make this
choice without doing some homework and reflecting
on how it could impact your life for better or for
worse.
 Hopefully Career Day gave you some new ideas of
what going to college might be like and some of the
careers you could have if you attend college.

5. Benefits of attending college…
 You get to meet a lot of new and different people
 Continue to learn! Getting an education helps you
become a well-rounded and informed person. A college
education can help you find what you are passionate
about and earn a degree in that area.
 Make more money and get a higher paying job than those
who do not attend college.
 Being more marketable when it comes to getting a job.
 Gain financial responsibility. College is expensive. You
must learn to balance a budget and pay bills!
 Achieve independence. College can help you begin to
make life decisions making as you decide what classes to
take, what degree to earn, where you’re going next, etc.

6. Benefits of attending college…
 Get involved. College is a great place to get involved
in what you are interested in academically, as well as
clubs. There are all kinds of groups to get involved
in.
 Get a change of scenery. Going away to college is a
brand new experience, and it’s nice to see what
others kinds of people and experiences there are
away from what you’ve known.
 Attending college sporting events. If you’ve never
been to a college basketball or football game… go!
It’s a blast to cheer for your team.

7. Benefits of attending college…
 Find out who you are. College years are a time of
learning, personal growth, challenges, hard work and
hopefully fun.
 Having fun and enjoying college life. College
campuses are always offering fun group activities.
It’s a time of socializing, having new opportunities,
trying new activities, etc. Campuses also have
recreation buildings – some with pools, gyms, rock
wall climbing, rentals for ski equipment, snow shoes,
kayaks, canoes, etc.

8. Think you’re not college material?
 It’s understandable that not EVERYONE wants to go
to college! There are other options to continue your
education if you are one of those students.
 However, if you think you are not college material
because you struggle with grades or homework… you
don’t like writing papers, think you could never pay
for college, or it’s just plain hard, there are a few
things to consider:

9. Think you’re not college material?
 Colleges have great services and resources to help students. You
can talk to an admissions counselor about what you are
interested in and what types of classes are required for specific
programs, and what help is available.
 There are writing labs with other students who work there to
help give you tips on how to improve your writing and your
papers.
 There is supplemental instruction for all kinds of subjects.
Struggle with math? You can spend extra time learning from
other students to improve your skills.
 Colleges offer classes such as Study Skills to help you develop the
necessary skills to be successful in college.
 YOU are paying for these services… so USE them as much as you
possibly can!

10. Can I even pay for college?
 Paying for college is expensive! No one will argue that. We
could talk about expense all day and how student debt is
hard to pay back and takes a
LOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGG time. (I can
attest to that!)
 Scholarships and grants are ideal. There are a lot of
scholarships out there, but you’ve got to be serious about
your grades, and be learning and preparing for college now!
Your ACT exam is factored in as well and it is very
competitive.
 If you are a very average student (like Mrs. Roane was…)
and you don’t earn a scholarship or qualify for a grant, you
can always take out a student loan. (I’ll pay mine off at the
end of this year!)

11. Get a Jump Start…
 Another way to get ahead of the game, and not pay
for 4 or more years of college is to start taking college
courses in high school!
 AP – Advanced Placement courses can earn you
college credit by passing a test at the end of the
course. The key is: You must pass!
 Concurrent Enrollment: These courses earn you high
school and college credit at the same time, just by
passing the course.
 Getting involved in the International Baccalaurette
Program gives you 30 college credits.

12. The Point Is…
 If you want to go to college… YOU CAN and you should!
Believe in yourself and know that it will be hard, but the
pay off for working hard is well worth it! Ask any one of
your teachers or others who have attended college, if they
would go back and change it.

13. Alternate Options…
 Now… for those of you who choose not to go to
college, that’s okay…there are alternate options!
 The most important thing to remember is, as
educators, we are challenging and pushing you to
CONTINUE YOUR EDUCATION… and there are a
variety of ways to do that. Next week’s lesson will
focus on alternate options to going to college.